The mood was somber Friday at Towne Taxi Inc. in Roselawn, where employees learned that three of their co-workers died in an early-morning fire that ravaged a three-story, five-apartment Corryville residence.

        A mechanic, who didn't want to give his name, said the cab drivers and dispatchers felt the loss of the men, who were known as hard workers.

The body of one of the men who died in the fire is taken to a coroner's van. (Glenn Hartong photos) | ZOOM |

        “Business pretty much went on as usual. (But) you could see it in the guys,” the mechanic said.

        The body of Don Davidson, 57, was discovered near a second-floor, rear window of 207 Stetson St. Witnesses said they heard screams coming from that area as the fire blazed.

        Found on the third floor were the bodies of Cossie Chandler, 38, and another man whose name is not being released pending notification of his relatives.

        Two others, including building owner William Vayle, escaped the fire. Mr. Vayle was taken to University Hospital, where he was treated and released. The second man, whose name was not available, escaped by climbing down a tree from a second-floor apartment window. They worked at Towne Taxi, too.

        Flames were so fierce that Donna Trejo, who lives two doors away, at first thought the fire was happening in the adjacent home.

One of the three victims is carried from the house by firefighters. | ZOOM |

        “It was horrible,” she said. “I ran out in my pajamas and then I saw the flames. Flames were bursting out and guys (were) climbing out of that tree. There was smoke galore.”

        She gave one of the survivors a blanket and socks after he escaped. She knew no one in the house.

        Fire officials said the fire was extraordinary. The three floors were engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived shortly after 4:30 a.m.

        Fire officials reported “nearly impossible circumstances of heavy fire involvement on every level of a three-story brick residence.” Fire officials also said rescue efforts were hampered because a back door was nailed shut.

Firefighters Ron Lindsey and Mark Marshall look at damage at the building's roof. | ZOOM |

        “It was a pretty severe fire. It was a pretty quick-moving fire. It ... advanced pretty rapidly,” said Mose Demasi, Assistant Fire Chief. “There was a lot of fuel” such as furniture and materials being stored, he said.

        Firefighters required about two hours to get the fire under control. The rental property appeared as a charred hulk afterward. Damage totaled $70,000, Assistant Chief Demasi said.

        Homicide investigators took pictures of the bodies and collected other evidence that will be used to help fire investigators determine whether the cause was suspicious.

        Later Friday, fire investigators remained at the scene. They had ruled out the possibility of a gas leak but still couldn't say what had caused the fire.

        That could take weeks, said Fire Lt. Daniel Wolf.

        Minnie Pickett put on her winter coat, scarf and hat when she woke up Friday morning and discovered that a fatal fire had taken place across the street.

        She stood in her doorway for hours, anxious to see what transpired.

        “I heard three people died,” she said. “I didn't know them (but) it's very horrible.”

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